Hazel Wellverse
Known Information Returning in July 10r as a ghost, and then regaining her corporeal form, Hazel Wellverse is a tailor and bard from Ad Decimum. She can be identified by her lower-class accent, heavy armor and peculiar bycocket, in which she sticks pins, needles, and an assortment of feathers. As a Decimal without magical talent, she relies on tailoring to make a living, and was taken by surprise at how magically inclined Returned treated her as an equal. Her armor bears the symbol of her former shop; Wellverse Sisters Tailoring and Smithy. Hazel speaks often of Semper Street, a hub of mundane Decimal activity, as well as her former home. As a result of growing up in this subculture, Hazel tends to be adverse to magical healing, specifically channeling. She's the Port Frey representative for the League of Mundane Rights, an organization based in Ad Decimum. She worships the Celestine pantheon, and was once a devout follower of Ryed. Hazel despises Belisarius and have been noted to speak out against his practices, particularly banning religion and aligning Ad Decimum with the Nadine Empire. (It was speaking directly to Belisarius and accusing him of hypocrisy, among other things, that led to Hazel being appointed Ambassador-Proxy). She tries to remain positive and see the good in every situation, although situations involving magic, fire and/or magic fire can unsettle her quite a bit. Considering she recalls her death vividly (suffocating and being subsequently eaten by a dragon in March 10r) most agree this is reasonable. She also was quite shaken by an incident during which a Knight was injured as an indirect result of her mistake, fearing prison. During her time alive, she met the Returned Vorandiel, and it was meeting him again that pulled her back into the world of the living. Her memory is full of holes, and her time as a ghost has left her incapable of recalling faces. As a result, she sometimes introduces herself multiple times to the same people. She is also blue/purple colorblind. Just hours into her new life in Port Frey, Hazel was beheaded by an unknown assailant, and found herself among the first group ferried back to life by Aleister Moridaine. Despite having no magical inclination, Hazel somehow attuned to the obelisk (specifically to the earth) in a non-arcane way. This strange connection makes rituals with the obelisk incredibly taxing for Hazel, but nevertheless she persists. Hazel was in Solace during it's seizure by Æsa in August 10r, somehow earning a nasty gash across their face which left them with a scar. Hazel jokes it's a papercut. In September 10r, Hazel was appointed by Belisarius to serve as Ambasador-Proxy in the absence of Damaris, the Ambassador Proper. Hieronymous Galrath, Esquire, a Decimal Knight and barrister, quickly offered to squire Hazel, which she accepted. However, the Office of the Founder denied the legitimacy of the squireship, citing Hazel's lack of nobility, as well as the fact that the Arbiter Tower is no longer in operation. When Arch-mage Kayn Undertow was ultimately chosen to become the new ambassador in November 10r, he offered Hazel the position of Senschenal. She's married to Shaal-Het Maël Oanez Gwenneg Wellverse of the Gael. Status Hazel is a peasant with no pins of status. It's rumored that her sister, Gratina Wellverse, may be a wanted criminal in Ad Decimum. Allies * Vorandiel - Hazel met this Returned during her life, and meeting him as a ghost brought her back into the world of the living. She writes to him frequently, as he is stationed in Edge. * Hieronymous Galrath - Despite initially butting heads (there are rumors of death threats exchanged) Hazel and Hiero have come to realize they share similar goals - and both have Saek companions. Hiero attempted to squire Hazel, and Hazel is trying desperately to make him a little more down-to-earth. * Kenrin Arakai - It's no secret that Hazel dislikes nobility, but Kenrin won Hazel over almost immediately with his humility and wit. Hazel feels a sort of call to protect the Governor, as well as make sure he eats, because he absolutely does not and it's terrible. In a letter Hazel sent just after escaping Solace, she made an oath to help Kenrin rekindle hope: an oath she'll make good on, or die trying. * Finneus Locke - Another Decimal, one who took Hazel under his wing - er, giant coat - to show her around Port Frey. Finneus spent some time in the same sorts of neighborhood Hazel did, and Hazel considers him one of the few people who really understand what life was like for Mundane folks. * Erebon Malachite - Erebon is not only a fellow worshipper of the Celestine pantheon, he's also mundane like Hazel. Erebon was delighted to see Hazel return safe from Solace. There currently seems to be some strange air between Hazel and Erebon, though. * Allen Red - Another fellow Decimal. Despite the fact that they argue, Allen tried to make Hazel welcome in the Arcane Consortium, which she appreciates. Deep down, they're friends, even if Hazel's had some odd moments with him. Example case: Hazel storming down the main road screaming "ALLEN RED, I'M GONNA BEAT YOUR MAGICAL ASS." * Kayn Undertow - In a lot of ways, Kayn is Hazel's opposite. Hazel is spontaneous and self-assertive, but Kayn is calculated and calm. They've formed a friendship from their similar background, and similar goals. Kayn's advice (and his warding magic) has kept Hazel from dying a few times. As Hazel struggled with the responsibility of the obelisk, it was Kayn who affirmed that he would stand by her. * Itzel Nahuel - Another Celestine faithful, Hazel appreciates Itzel's positivity. She oversaw Hazel's wedding and is a force of good in Port Frey. The two of them have had some very curious conversations. * Timur - Hazel has hit Timur with a brick, and stabbed him with scissors, (both times on accident!) but despite this, they're friends. Timur helped guide Hazel in the panic she felt after atuning to the obelisk. Plus, every tailor ought to be friends with a mason. * Ichius Singh - Hazel's sweetheart. The two of them bonded over a mutual love of poetry. When she first returned, Hazel hardly counted herself among Decimals, relating closer to how the Saek struggled to survive. While she now feels comfortable with her countrymen, that empathy remains. Hazel affectionately calls him Dust Bunny. * Zaheras - Possibly one of Hazel's closest friends, Zaheras and Hazel keep each other hopeful, and correct each other when they're being stupid. * Oleksander and Deon Eon - Hazel considers these boys to be her ''boys, and gets very upset when they're threatened, in trouble, or literally murdered. * Shaal-Het - Hazel and Shaal-Het were married in September 10r, and they've been an absolute power couple since. Despite the fact that Decimals and Gael don't historically get along, the two tailors struck a chord with each other. Shaal-Het's positive outlook on life meshes well with Hazel's own, and the two of them uplift and support each other. * Stradivarius - Stradha watched Hazel bury a body. They're friends now. That's how that works. * The Banana Man (Baron L'Hopital) - from the same time at Hazel, Baron is familiar with the social culture Hazel rallies so hard against. He admires her tenacity, and Hazel tries desperately to recruit him to her cause. * Juniper Astralor - Hazel sees a bit of herself in Juniper, who believed herself to he mundane most of her life. Hazel's taken it upon herself to guide Juniper through life in Port Frey. * Ser Theodore Dunnelon - HAZEL HAS A VERY BAD HABIT OF STABBING HER FRIENDS. Despite the fact that Hazel has indirectly stabbed the Knight of Flowers, the two of them are close. Theo taught Hazel that it's alright to be sad, to show a little bit of weakness among friends, and Hazel has not forgotten this lesson. * Sir Volk Wolffe - Affectionately dubbed "Blondie" by Hazel, she finds the young knight to be charming, and a good friend. They've had several discussions on religion and family. They might even be dating? * Sage - Hazel has become a motherly figure for the little snake Saek, as well as a walking dictionary. Sage's vocabulary is slowly growing thanks to Hazel, for better or for worse. * Sir Gregor - A Decimal Knight is very different than an Amalgamate Knight, and yet, Sir Gregor has had a great deal of influence on Hazel's attempt to becoming one herself. It's been rumored that Hazel has even made him laugh. * Skullmaggot - He's a little intimidating at first, but when the Drir approached Hazel and asked to learn how to tailor, she stepped up and learned that underneath all the black leather, spikes and blood, he's actually a sweetheart, and picked up embroidery quickly. * Captain Jericho Tyrell - Hazel's optimism counters this Castle Thorn soldier's cynicism. Jericho believes in Hazel, even when Hazel doesn't believe in herself. Enemies * Belisarius * Æsa Obituaries * Hazel related her first death at the hands (claws?) of a dragon to a visiting Dacian, particularly detials of her attempt to save the families of a certain tenement house on Semper Street from burning to death. She earned a few copper for her tale. Rumors * Rumor has it, Hazel is a war criminal. * Hazel is actually a super powerful dream mage and just hides it. * Hazel is rumored to be the cipher killer because they use contractions * Hazel is engaged to a certain blue deer. * Hazel is colorblind and convinced they actually wear purple. * Hazel is actually a grandmaster in the only school of magic that matters: love magic * Rumor has it, Hazel and Belisarius are cool now. * Rumor has it, Hazel doesn't always count correctly. * Hazel's Semper Street slang is actually a lost language in itself. Unraveling what she's saying is a linguistic nightmare. * Rumor has it, Hazel is the Shrike's foremost assassin * Rumor has it, Hazel can rip an apple in half with her bare hands. Quotes "Dragons. Semper Street." I was a ghost this mornin', but I'm not anymore, so things are lookin' up! "Everything's gonna be fine." "If you can change it, do it. If you can't, don't worry about it." "Breathing is pretty conducive to living, yes." Semper Street Slang ''Hazel is known to use some strange phrases. Here are some of the more frequent ones. Some of these are unique to the lower class, while others are general terms in Ad Decimum. Addle-cove: '''Someone who's an idiot. Can be turned into an adjective, to be addle-coved. Unlike someone who is barmy, an addle-cove normally brought this upon themselves. '''Barmy: '''Insane or crazy. '''Basher: '''Used to describe a child, or someone acting like a child. If you're being called a basher, it's because you're hitting things and not asking questions. '''Berk: '''A generally negative way to refer to someone, although the term can be used in an amicable way between friends. Berk is somewhere between fool and bastard. '''Blood: '''Someone who is an expert. '''Brain-Box: '''The head. Used to describe both the physical head and the mind. '''Bub: '''Booze. '''Cutter: '''Someone who is clever. '''Drywell: '''A very unkind name for someone incapable of magic. Expect to get mugged if you use this on Semper Street. '''Fizzle: A slightly less unkind name for someone incapable of magic. '''Jink: '''Coin or money. '''Kip: '''Home. "Calling it kip" is setting up a home somewhere. '''Mundie: '''A name for a person incapable of magic that's just mean enough to get a dig in without getting immediately murdered by a group of mundanes. Character Inspirations Jacob Riis, author of "How the Other Half Lives" Evelyn Marthain from Dice, Camera, Action! B'Elanna Torres from Star Trek Voyager Costume Inspiration: Frederick of Ylisse